BestStart Manuroa Road 1

Education institution number:
10034
Service type:
Education and Care Service
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
101
Telephone:
Address:

14-18 Manuroa Road, Takanini, Auckland

View on map

BestStart Manuroa Road 1 - 25/09/2019

1 Evaluation of BestStart Manuroa Road 1

How well placed is BestStart Manuroa Road 1 to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

BestStart Manuroa Road 1 is well placed to promote positive learning outcomes for children.

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

BestStart Manuroa Road 1 provides for children in two separate buildings known as Kōwhai and Matai. Children generally move through three separate age groups in either Kōwhai or Matai. Administration facilities are shared between the two buildings. At the time of this ERO review the Kōwhai building had children enrolled in the toddlers and preschool areas only. Families attending the centre come from diverse cultures with many children being of Indian heritage. Smaller numbers of children come from Māori and Pacific backgrounds.

The centre is part of the BestStart charitable trust. The organisation has re-branded all its early learning services. It provides an overarching governance and management framework to support operations and curriculum delivery in individual centres. Business managers (BM) and professional services managers (PSM) lead the staff professional development and provide strategic guidance.

The centre's philosophy is to value children as unique individuals who are actively absorbing knowledge and understanding through people and their environment. The centre fosters beliefs that support children to feel loved, safe and secure in their surroundings.

The leadership team includes a centre manager, two assistant managers and a head teacher. Some staff have had a long association with the centre, while recently a number of new teachers have been employed.

This review was part of a cluster of nine reviews in BestStart's Upper North Island region.

The Review Findings

Children are settled and engaged in their learning. They are warmly welcomed into the centre along with their parents and whānau. Children benefit from inclusive and respectful teacher interactions. They select resources and lead their learning across all play areas. A significant feature of the centre is the importance placed on growing children's independence and self-help skills.

Infants play and explore in a warm, inviting environment. They have access to many resources that help stimulate their learning. Teachers are culturally responsive, sensitive and nurturing. They show aroha for children in their care.

Teachers work together to plan a curriculum that is responsive to children's individual needs and interests. They evaluate group learning and individual children's progress over time. Centre leaders agree that these good systems for assessment and planning are not yet consistent across both buildings.

Some learning environments provide many opportunities for exploration, creativity and physical challenge. A calm and peaceful tone permeates the centre. Leaders acknowledge that at times, children's movement between indoor and outdoor environments is limited. They are reviewing this situation.

Teachers are continuing to grow their skills and confidence in implementing a curriculum that reflects the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand. This is evident in their teaching practices, the selection of resources, displays throughout the centre, and children's assessment records.

Centre leaders and teachers carefully consider children's transitions into and through the centre. Parents are well informed about transitions. Established relationships with local schools also support transition processes. Children with additional learning needs are well supported, in consultation with parents and appropriate external agencies.

Centre leaders place importance on staff wellbeing. The centre has a culture of internal evaluation and professional learning and development. Centre leaders regularly review the philosophy in consultation with staff and the community. A policy framework guides practice, and a new appraisal system is to be implemented in 2020.

Centre operations are guided by strategic and annual plans, and a shared vision. These are linked to BestStart strategic goals, which promote a sense of belonging to a wider learning community and support more widespread collaboration amongst teaching teams. Leaders and teachers regularly revisit the centre's strategic goals and annual action plans to monitor quality and promote ongoing improvement.

Key Next Steps

Centre leaders acknowledge that they need to develop centre-wide capability and capacity to achieve consistently good quality practices and sustainability across the service. Key next steps include:

  • continuing to grow teachers' capability in teaching and learning, planning, assessment and evaluation

  • improving resources and strengthening learning environments to provide a wide range of learning opportunities for all learners

  • revisiting expectations for how teachers support children to manage their relationships with others.

Since the onsite phase of this review ERO has requested, and BestStart managers have provided, an action plan that shows how the priorities for improvement will be addressed. ERO will request progress updates against the plan.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of BestStart Manuroa Road 1 completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they have taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:

  • curriculum
  • premises and facilities
  • health and safety practices
  • governance, management and administration.

During the review, ERO looked at the service’s systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children's wellbeing:

  • emotional safety (including positive guidance and child protection)

  • physical safety (including supervision; sleep procedures; accidents; medication; hygiene; excursion policies and procedures)

  • suitable staffing (including qualification levels; police vetting; teacher registration; ratios)

  • evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.

All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.

Steve Tanner

Director Review and Improvement Services Northern

Northern Region

25 September 2019

The Purpose of ERO Reports

The Education Review Office (ERO) is the government department that, as part of its work, reviews early childhood services throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. ERO’s reports provide information for parents and communities about each service’s strengths and next steps for development. ERO’s bicultural evaluation framework Ngā Pou Here is described in SECTION 3 of this report. Early childhood services are partners in the review process and are expected to make use of the review findings to enhance children's wellbeing and learning.

2 Information about the Early Childhood Service

Location

Takanini, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

10034

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

100 children, including up to 40 aged under 2

Service roll

103

Gender composition

Girls 53% Boys 47%

Ethnic composition

Māori
NZ European/Pākehā
Indian
Chinese
Pacific
other Asian
other ethnic groups

19%
15%
34%
11%
7%
11%
3%

Percentage of qualified teachers

80% +

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:4

Better than minimum requirements

Over 2

1:8

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

July 2019

Date of this report

25 September 2019

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

November 2015

Education Review

May 2012

Education Review

April 2009

3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

ERO’s Evaluation Framework

ERO’s overarching question for an early childhood education review is ‘How well placed is this service to promote positive learning outcomes for children?’ ERO focuses on the following factors as described in the bicultural framework Ngā Pou Here:

Pou Whakahaere – how the service determines its vision, philosophy and direction to ensure positive outcomes for children

Pou Ārahi – how leadership is enacted to enhance positive outcomes for children

Mātauranga – whose knowledge is valued and how the curriculum is designed to achieve positive outcomes for children

Tikanga whakaako – how approaches to teaching and learning respond to diversity and support positive outcomes for children.

Within these areas ERO considers the effectiveness of arotake – self review and of whanaungatanga – partnerships with parents and whānau.

ERO evaluates how well placed a service is to sustain good practice and make ongoing improvements for the benefit of all children at the service.

A focus for the government is that all children, especially priority learners, have an opportunity to benefit from quality early childhood education. ERO will report on how well each service promotes positive outcomes for all children, with a focus on children who are Māori, Pacific, have diverse needs, and are up to the age of two.

For more information about the framework and Ngā Pou Here refer to ERO’s Approach to Review in Early Childhood Services.

ERO’s Overall Judgement

The overall judgement that ERO makes will depend on how well the service promotes positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:

  • Very well placed

  • Well placed

  • Requires further development

  • Not well placed

ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.

Review Coverage

ERO reviews are tailored to each service’s context and performance, within the overarching review framework. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to the service.

BestStart Manuroa Road 1 - 26/11/2015

1 Evaluation of Topkids Manuroa Rd

How well placed is Topkids Manuroa Rd to promote positive learning outcomes for children?

Not well placed

Requires further development

Well placed

Very well placed

ERO's findings that support this overall judgement are summarised below.

Background

Topkids Manuroa Rd is a large early childhood centre in Takanini, South Auckland. Two of the three on site Kidicorp centres, recently rebranded as Beststart, have combined under a single licence. The two buildings, named Kowhai and Matai hold one early childhood service licence.

The newly restructured centre provides education and care services for 100 children including up to 40 children under two years of age. It operates under Beststart’s comprehensive management and operational systems.

Each of the buildings is divided into three age-related rooms. While the centre shares administration facilities, children generally move through either Kowhai or Matai during their time at Topkids Manuroa Rd.

The centre has retained its key management team and most of its teachers. They work well together to sustain and strengthen centre practices.

The Review Findings

Children are settled and confident in their play. They are well cared for and show a sense of security and belonging. They are respectful, and engage in conversation with their peers and adults. Older children help younger children and high quality care is provided for infants and toddlers. These children have their own areas to play and to explore. Teachers’ calm and gentle interactions support children’s preferences and routines.

Children have well designed learning opportunities. They play in organised, attractive and spacious environments. A wide range of age-appropriate resources provide them with challenges in a variety of learning contexts. Teachers include the skills and knowledge of numeracy, literacy and science as part of children’s play. They support children to develop self-help skills and independence.

The centre is intent on providing a bicultural curriculum as outlined in Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum. The Treaty of Waitangi is acknowledged in the centre’s philosophy, and teachers are beginning to integrate te reo Māori into the programme. The use of te reo Māori should become more consistent across the centre as teachers develop their confidence.

The children attending the centre are from culturally diverse backgrounds. Centre managers recognise the value of ensuring that children’s cultures and languages are supported by the programme and through teachers’ interactions with children. Professional development for teachers related to cultural diversity has begun.

Teachers and leaders have established very good relationships with children’s parents and families. They identify children’s interests and recognise their learning progress. Teachers share these findings with parents using electronic learning portfolios. Many parents respond online and use the information from this communication link to further develop their child’s interests.

Teachers respond well to children. They listen to them and talk with them often throughout the day. They help children to access appropriate resources. Teachers could further strengthen the programme by developing and supporting children’s interests over time. They could further develop the use of questioning strategies to extend children’s thinking and problem solving.

The centre has good systems for promoting ongoing improvement. Centre leaders use self-review, administered by Beststart managers, to systematically monitor centre standards and identify priority areas for development. They use this information effectively to inform long term plans.

Teachers also use self-review effectively to focus on areas for development within their own teaching practice. Sharing ideas and good practices across the centre would help strengthen the consistency of teaching and build leadership capacity.

Teachers and leaders have developed a collaborative online appraisal system. This could be further strengthened by including the Ministry of Education resource, Tātaiako - Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners.

Key Next Steps

ERO affirms other areas for centre development identified by centre leaders, including:

  • growing leadership capability across the centre
  • strengthening multicultural perspectives in programme planning
  • developing the use of digital technologies to support children’s learning.

Management Assurance on Legal Requirements

Before the review, the staff and management of Topkids Manuroa Rd completed an ERO Centre Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklist. In these documents they attested that they have taken all reasonable steps to meet their legal obligations related to:

  • curriculum
  • premises and facilities
  • health and safety practices
  • governance, management and administration.

During the review, ERO looked at the service’s systems for managing the following areas that have a potentially high impact on children's wellbeing:

  • emotional safety (including positive guidance and child protection)
  • physical safety (including supervision; sleep procedures; accidents; medication; hygiene; excursion policies and procedures)
  • suitable staffing (including qualification levels; police vetting; teacher registration; ratios)
  • evacuation procedures and practices for fire and earthquake.

All early childhood services are required to promote children's health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.

Next ERO Review

When is ERO likely to review the service again?

The next ERO review of Topkids Manuroa Rd will be in three years.

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

26 November 2015

The Purpose of ERO Reports

The Education Review Office (ERO) is the government department that, as part of its work, reviews early childhood services throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. ERO’s reports provide information for parents and communities about each service’s strengths and next steps for development. ERO’s bicultural evaluation framework Ngā Pou Here is described in SECTION 3 of this report. Early childhood services are partners in the review process and are expected to make use of the review findings to enhance children's wellbeing and learning.

2 Information about the Early Childhood Service

Location

Takanini, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

10034

Licence type

Education & Care Service

Licensed under

Education (Early Childhood Services) Regulations 2008

Number licensed for

100 children, including up to 40 aged under 2

Service roll

108

Gender composition

Boys 66 Girls 42

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

Indian

Samoan

Fijian

Tongan

Southeast Asian

others

35

42

10

4

3

3

2

9

Percentage of qualified teachers

0-49% 50-79% 80%

Based on funding rates

80%

Reported ratios of staff to children

Under 2

1:3

Better than minimum requirements

 

Over 2

1:8

Better than minimum requirements

Review team on site

October 2015

Date of this report

26 November 2015

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

May 2012

 

Education Review

April 2009

 

Education Review

May 2006

3 General Information about Early Childhood Reviews

ERO’s Evaluation Framework

ERO’s overarching question for an early childhood education review is ‘How well placed is this service to promote positive learning outcomes for children?’ ERO focuses on the following factors as described in the bicultural framework Ngā Pou Here:

Pou Whakahaere – how the service determines its vision, philosophy and direction to ensure positive outcomes for children

Pou Ārahi – how leadership is enacted to enhance positive outcomes for children

Mātauranga – whose knowledge is valued and how the curriculum is designed to achieve positive outcomes for children

Tikanga whakaako – how approaches to teaching and learning respond to diversity and support positive outcomes for children.

Within these areas ERO considers the effectiveness of arotake – self review and of whanaungatanga – partnerships with parents and whānau.

ERO evaluates how well placed a service is to sustain good practice and make ongoing improvements for the benefit of all children at the service.

A focus for the government is that all children, especially priority learners, have an opportunity to benefit from quality early childhood education. ERO will report on how well each service promotes positive outcomes for all children, with a focus on children who are Māori, Pacific, have diverse needs, and are up to the age of two.

For more information about the framework and Ngā Pou Here refer to ERO’s Approach to Review in Early Childhood Services.

ERO’s Overall Judgement and Next Review

The overall judgement that ERO makes and the timing of the next review will depend on how well placed a service is to promote positive learning outcomes for children. The categories are:

  • Very well placed – The next ERO review in four years
  • Well placed – The next ERO review in three years
  • Requires further development – The next ERO review within two years
  • Not well placed - The next ERO review in consultation with the Ministry of Education

ERO has developed criteria for each category. These are available on ERO’s website.

Review Coverage

ERO reviews are tailored to each service’s context and performance, within the overarching review framework. The aim is to provide information on aspects that are central to positive outcomes for children and useful to the service.